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Subject: Window side trim repainting project Author: davidc (moderator) : member since December, 2003 : 10534 posts Posted on: 2004-06-22 21:04:34

The black metal trim panels on the sides of the windows of my '86 735i had become severely weathered looking. In some places, the paint was faded and in other places it had actually peeled away, exposing bare metal.

Before

After

A view of the driver's-side trim before restoration.

Though I never actually got to see a new E23 in a dealer's showroom, I believe the black panels were probably a black matte finish similar to that on my e38. Having succesfully used Rustoleum satin black spray paint on the front grills, hood grills, wiper arms and several other areas of the car, it seemed like a good choice for the window side panels as well.


Rustoleum satin-black spray paint was selected for the window side panels ($2/can from Walmart).


The first step was to roll down the window and pull the rubber window guides out of the channels. This was repeated for all four doors.


Next, each of the black metal areas was thoroughly cleaned, then they were lightly wet-sanded using 2000-grit wet sandpaper and cleaned again. After that, the panels were taped off to protect the surrounding rubber, chrome and, of course, the car body.


The Rustoleum was then sprayed onto the panels using light coats. The paint was allowed to dry for half an hour then another light coat was applied. A total of four coats were applied before rolling the car into the garage to dry for 48 hours. If you make any mistakes, you can let the paint dry for at least 24 hours then wet-sand it again to erase any runs or inconsistencies in the surfaces.

A total of six panels were painted, (One on the front door and two on the rear door) X 2.

Here are photos of the results after drying, removing the masking tape and re-installing the rubber window guides.







It looks really good in person, even better than what the photos convey. Now it's time to work on that scruffy/cloudy-looking chrome trim!


David Cecil
'02 X5 3.0, 15k miles
'97 740iL, 120k miles
'86 735i, 94k miles
'77 320i, 140k miles
'92 325is (rear-ended on I285, gone but not forgotten)

www.e38.org has links for everything about your BMW 7-series automobile

• Window side trim repainting project (pic) - davidc 2004-06-22 21:04:34 (11377 views)